The Art of the “Anti-Wow”

Saturday afternoon. A South Florida rainstorm pounds my garden, and I lounge in the shelter of my home, flipping through the pages of the Wall Street Journal Magazine that just arrived. Settle on a story about two designers and their house in the foothills of the Atlas mountains in Morocco, half an hour from Marrakesh.

“Anti-Wow”

That’s how the owners describe the style of their home.

“Anti-Wow”

Love this term. It has instant meaning for me. Not trying to show off. Not intent on dazzling. Trusts simplicity. Doesn’t put on a show.

Let’s relate this to how we humans show up in the world. The choices you and I make, intentional or not, in every social interaction we have.

I want this program to be a Wow, John, a VP of Learning and Development, says to me as we discuss an upcoming training event.

Sparkle, impress, be memorable. That’s how I hear his request for the Wow.

We love Gina but she just needs to be a little more polished, Miriam, a VP of HR says to me as we discuss a coaching opportunity.

I coach folks on Executive Presence, and in my conversations around presence the word polished is often thrown into the mix. It makes me squeamish, every time. Many of us are too polished. We work for the Wow. Sometimes consciously, more often not. Usually we work for it just a little too hard.

A conversation with a cab driver in Chicago. I used to be a housing inspector, he says to me. I have inspected hundreds of houses. And then he adds: Don’t let anyone tell you that houses don’t have energy.

The house in Morocco. It makes an impression without going for the dazzle. It trusts simplicity. Easy energy. That’s the anti-Wow. How do you and I do the same thing in our everyday interactions? With a client, a boss, a peer, a friend?

Consider the following Do’s and Don’ts as you contemplate your very own Anti-Wow:

The Don’ts:

Do not strive to project a perfect look. Perfect wording. Perfect manners. You don’t want to be the over-decorated house. The one we may like at first glance. Until we can’t wait to get the heck out of there and go to a more casual joint.

Do not strive to be liked. Be likeable, yes. Be kind and compassionate, yes. Be warm, yes. But if you have to work at being liked you’re not close to any kind of Wow.

Do not strive to be perky. You may think of it as sending out positive energy. We may experience you as fake.

Do not strive to wow me. Plain and simple. Do not try to push, cajole, force or win me over. Your overly explicit efforts to dazzle, to impress – they will not wow me. They will merely look like you’re trying too hard.

The Do’s:

Channel energy. That’s it. That’s all it ever is. The energy of what excites you, what matters to you, what you believe in, what stirs your imagination. Channel it so we feel it.

There is no true impact on others without energy. Not having energy, or let me be clear, not being able to access our energy, instantly inhibits our social impact.

We access energy by cultivating habits and practices that tap into the energy in our body. Nothing terribly mystical. Yoga. Tai Chi. Swimming. Running. Dancing. Breathing, lots and lots of breathing. And more breathing. Habit means we do it often. We keep ourselves energized.

Let the energy out. Don’t push it. Don’t force it out. Don’t give it the extra-oomph. But fill it with your convictions. And let it out.

You are the house. I am the house. We are vessels of energy. Pure, unfettered energy is the anti-Wow. It’s the real deal

The “Anti-Wow” is a quiet Wow.It’s an honest, effortless Wow. It wows by not trying to wow. It wows by trusting itself. It wows by not rushing, not trying too hard.

And it leaves a lasting impression.

Always does.

Achim NowakAuthor

Achim Nowak is an author, speaker, C-Suite coach, and international authority on personal presence. His book The Moment: A Practical Guide to Creating a Mindful Life in a Distracted World (New Page Books) has just been published. His previous books have become prized resources for entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 executives around the globe. Achim and his work have been featured on 60 Minutes, Fox News, NPR, in The New York Times and The Miami Herald.

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